


Pedestal

by HopelessRomantic01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence, Drarry, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25742662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelessRomantic01/pseuds/HopelessRomantic01
Summary: During the battle of Hogwarts, Harry is knocked out, but then subsequently woken up by the last person he’d expect. Draco Malfoy. Does Malfoy really mean what he says... that he wants to help Harry defeat Voldemort? Or does he have other plans in mind?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Kudos: 2





	Pedestal

**Author's Note:**

> Man I hope y’all enjoy this. I’ll be trying to update more regularly on this one!

“Potter.” Harry groaned and made to shove the ghostly hands gripping his shoulders. Black and white spots danced across his vision, obscuring the war zone around him. “Potter!” The voice grew more insistent, dragging his muddled brain back to reality. He was in Hogwarts. The castle crumbled and shuddered around him, ancient history cracking like the lightning in his skull. Harry blinked profusely, taking deep breaths to steady himself. The last thing he remembered was talking to Rowena Ravenclaw and getting the answer to...to… “Harry!” His thoughts were interrupted by a panicked shout, coming from the pale figure in front of him…

“Malfoy? What are you doing here?” His instincts came rushing back, and Harry whipped out his wand--well, Malfoy’s wand, actually--and scrambled to his feet. “Get back! Don’t touch me!” Malfoy complied, his hands raised placatingly but his face twisted into an unimpressed stare. Harry pointed the wand threateningly at the black-clad, pale-arsed prick that was Draco Malfoy.

“Potter, relax. If I wanted to kill you I would have done so while you were practically drooling in that corner.”

Harry gritted his teeth and snarled. “Then why are you here? Here to distract me while Daddy runs off to do Voldemort’s bidding?”

Malfoy winced, either at the jab or the Dark Lord’s name, Harry couldn’t tell. Either way, all it did was fuel his already boiling disgust for the boy. Malfoy’s voice was low when he responded. “I’m here to help.”

Harry blanched. “Help? How can you help?” He knew he didn’t have time for this, but Harry had to know. Whose side was Draco Malfoy on? What could he possibly have that would repent the decades of sins of the Malfoy family?

Malfoy looked away, his bony hands clenching in and out of fists. He looked like he wanted to spit back a scathing retort, but he deflated at the last second. “I don’t know. All I do know is that I can’t stand back and watch as Hogwarts is destroyed.”

Harry chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. “You always said this was the worst place imaginable.”

Malfoy glanced up, grey eyes meeting green and gave a small, defeated smile. “Lately I’ve seen worse.” Harry suddenly recalled how pained Malfoy had looked when Voldemort beckoned him forward in the courtyard, the look on his face as he pleaded with his parents silently.

“Where is the rest of the Golden Trio?” Malloy asked, no small hint of malice in his voice. 

Harry hesitated before answering. “Destroying Tom Riddle’s notebook is taking longer than we thought. I decided to go to the Room of Requirement and find the diadem myself.” He didn’t know why he was telling Malloy all this. Maybe it was the desperation and determination in his eyes as he walked, maybe it was the fact that instead of killing him right there, Malfoy woke Harry to finish the job he started. And even if Malfoy intended to betray him-as Malfoys often do-Harry had faith he could beat the other in a fight. However his stomach roiled at the memory of Malfoy bleeding out on the bathroom floor… fear and pain hazing his face…

“Hey!” Harry was startled to find Malfoy several steps ahead of him in the direction of the Room. “Limited time, Potter. Let’s go.”

Harry hesitated before chasing after the blonde.

Malfoy was an utter enigma. What motivated him to help Harry? After so many years of bullying and asshole-ery, what made him change his mind? By the time they reached the Room of Requirement, Harry had decided on Daddy Issues. It only took a moment for the doors to materialize, as if the room itself realized the severity of the situation.

They stepped in together, and Harry’s stomach sank as he took in the sheer size of the room. It seemed to go in for miles, with endless piles of junk scattered around it—sometimes as high as the ceiling. It would take time to go through it all. Time they didn’t have.

Luckily for them, Harry was a main character!! Ah, wait, no. He, er, had connection with the Horcruxes or something.

Malfoy looked around, taking in the giant room. “Where do we start, Potter?” How Malfoy could still have a dry sense of humor when their entire world was crumbling around him Harry would never know.

“Pick a pile and dig.” They both began doing so, but Harry stopped midway through. Something… something was pulling him. It was like his head became empty except for this one invisible string, leading-no forcing-him away. A ringing in his ears started to grow louder and louder as he rushed through the room. He could faintly hear Draco calling after him, but his only thought was to reach the source of the ringing.

He was drawn to a small box, inconspicuous at first save for the small lock engraved with a proud raven. He opened it and the ringing stopped. His head became clear again and he turned to Malfoy, grinning. The pale boy let out a relieved sigh. “How do we get rid of it?”  
Harry’s smile faded as he realized he didn’t know. A basilisk fang would work, but Ron and Hermione had yet to return from destroying the Hufflepuff chalice. The sword of Gryffendor as well… but in all the destruction who knew where the Sorting Hat was?

“Potter,” Malfoy got close to Harry, looking deeply into his face. “You have a plan, right?”

Harry met Malfoy’s piercing grey gaze and shook his head. The skinny boy threw up his hands in frustration, muttering about how stupid this was, and how he could be at home, how he could be safe, but nooooo he just HAD to help Potter with some righteous quest that was doomed from the start!

Harry tried to shut Malfoy up as he wracked his brain for a plan.

There was no plan.

Everything he came up with shattered in a hundred different fatal ways. The castle was swarmed with batting wizards and there were too many unknowns for Harry to destroy the diadem safely. He stared at the silver crown as if it would reveal its secrets to him. It didn’t, as it is a crown. It’s large sapphire shone brilliantly even in the dim lighting, and for a brief moment Harry felt regret to destroy such a beautiful and historic piece. But not a lot of regret.

Suddenly the diadem was ripped away from him and Harry yelped as Malfoy dropped a heavy looking box onto it. The diadem, despite looking fragile… dented the box…. Malfoy stared at it for a moment before making a frustrated sound and throwing the diadem far away, yelling obscenities.

Harry grabbed Malfoy’s arm and tugged him back, tripping over an intricately carved staff and tumbling onto a pile of couches. He hissed as his side slammed against a corner. “What the fuck did you do that for!” 

Malfoy, who had ironically-but not really since this IS a Drarry fic fallen on top of Harry-flushed. Is it because of their proximity or the fact that he had thrown the horcrux like a child? The world may never know. Here was a moment of silence where the two boys stared at each other, breathing heavily and wondering what the hell to do now. Harry had never been this close to Malfoy, and he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to throw the blonde off of him, or let the moment drag onwards just so he could study how much Malfoy had changed in the past years.

He’s still a prick who just gave you more work! His mind screamed at him. But Harry silenced it for a moment, taking in how Malfoy had in fact become less bony and more lean than he was as a child. But there was still something dull in his eyes, as if he were a hollow shell. His hand positioned just above Harry’s head revealed how thin he was even under his slightly dusty suit. Had he been eating?

Malfoy made a horrified sound but didn’t move to get off Harry. “I-I don’t know! I thought it would be easier to destroy!”

Harry felt rage bubbling up inside of him. “Oh because you’ve never had to work for a damn thing in your whole life! You thought it would be just as easy!”

“Yes!” Malfoy cried to Harry’s never ending surprise. “Yes, I thought it would be easy! I thought once I helped you my life would magically become easier! But this world never fails to disappoint does it?” His voice cracked, and he rubbed his eyes roughly before pushing himself off of Harry and stomping in the direction of the diadem.

Harry sat there for a moment, staring blankly at Malfoy’s retreating form. He hadn’t expected that sort of confession from that skinny prick. If he was being honest Harry had always assumed having the kind of money and influence the Malfoy family had made your life easier than most. But as the Chosen One, Harry should understand more than anyone how Malfoy had to have been feeling. A pedestal is a lonely place.

He stood and followed the dark clad boy, catching up to him but keeping a respectful distance. Perhaps once all of this was done Harry and Malfoy could talk about what it was like being told you were born for greatness, that you were expected to fulfill your destiny even at a young age. But Harry didn’t let himself hope. After all, he still didn’t trust Malfoy.

He had yet to prove himself fully.


End file.
